Bike lane on the Hoan? Walker says no. Barrett says maybe.

Local blogger Dave Schlabowske prompted me to wonder this week where the gubernatorial candidates stand on the great Hoan Bridge bike lane question.

Schlabowske, the bicycle and pedestrian coordinator for Milwaukee, made a case for a plan rejected previously by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation: eliminate one of the three northbound traffic lanes and replace it with a bike lane, separated from traffic by a concrete barrier.

The group’s main objective is to block any proposal to replace the Hoan with a smaller lift bridge. But the coalition’s leader, County Supervisor Patricia Jursik, also argues the bridge, in any variation, should be open to bicycle and pedestrian traffic.

Gov. Jim Doyle punted the major decisions about the future of the Hoan, including the addition of a bike lane, to his successor.

His campaign sent this response to the question: “Tom would be open to a discussion of the pros and cons of a Hoan Bridge bike lane. Safety and traffic flow issues, as well as if there would be demand for a lane, would have to be addressed.”

I love riding my bike and dislike S. 1st street but the wind can really howl on top of the Hoan and it's a long uphill climb. Why isn't the old railroad bed east of 1st being transformed into a bike lane?

Walker definitely keeps giving me more reasons to not vote for him. Lets repeal the smoking ban, lets block any type of effort to make the city more bike friendly, etc. I realize there are many other issues that are more important than bike paths and smoking bans, but these things ARE important to me as I am sure they are to some others.

Great points JTBA. The Hoan would be a challenge for fit riders to pass on a windy day. I don't know if it would get much use. The RR thing should at least be talked about, many old RR beds have transformed into bike paths, why not this one? In either case, making the city more friendly for bike commuters is always a good idea.

My wife and I rode the Hoan Bridge one time on a recumbent tandem with Mayor Norquist, some state DOT people and bicycle activists. I too had concerns that the long uphill climb would stop most people from riding there, especially commuters, but the grade really is moderate. And we all know recumbents can't climb. The wind would still be a concern.

Even as a cyclist, I don't support this whole cycling on the Hoan idea.

Cycling and walking are about seeing things and interacting with your environment - urban, rural, or otherwise. The Hoan completely eliminates any quality of life for the user. It's a car-based structure, designed to hurry people along who don't care about what surrounds them. The cars can keep their multibillion dollar, ugly, depressing bridge as a means to isolate and frustrate themselves to their hearts' content.

That is what I love about demorats, money is never an issue, just say how much and the trucks will roll. Demorats do not know where the money comes from but they know it is cart blanche with no limits....go baby..!!...just spend, we won't be here tomorrow, so light it up....baby...!!..

First off, I am an avid bike rider, but for the reasons of wind, etc. a bike lane on the Hoan bridge is a bad idea. An even dumber idea are the bike racks on the city busses! And people wonder why Milwaukee County is in such a financial crisis?

I don't understand the problem with this - really. Has anyone ever driven on the Bong Bridge between Duluth and Superior? They have a bike lane/sidewalk that seems to work just fine. That bridge is much dicier than the Hoan...anyone think that Lake Superior winds are milder than ours?

Barrett is full of stupid ideas that waste the taxpayers' money. I am a lifetime bicyclist and rode the Bender Park to Bayside route along the lakefront for decades. I wouldn't even consider taking the Hoan on this route. But one or two people think it's a good idea and that sets the Democrats minds a racing to waste more precious public funds.

Yeah, it's clear only "one or two people" think it's a good idea. I mean, it's only been something entire ORGANIZATIONS have been pushing for since 2002. Because YOU disagree with the idea it MUST mean EVERYONE ELSE does, too! Please don't vote, ever.

I also find it interesting when someone claims to "tell it like it is!" about a subject. What you REALLY mean to say is you "tell it how you feel" and you're "always right" so it must be "how it is!" As stated above, please don't vote. Ever.

What they need is an at grade bike route from bayview to downtown not the whole bridge. Anyone that has ridden KK to downtown knows how rough the ride is and how close the cars are.

A bike lane is a bad Idea the bridge is much too busy and dangerous. The few days that you could actually ride or walk on it does not justify the cost. I would love to see these know it all supervisors ride a bike. Then ride that same bike over the Hoan. Not going to happen very few of them could even run a block. It would be good for young kids, they could ride their bikes to the top of the Hoan Bridge and hang out. Thus getting calls for service to remove the kids and or graffiti.

Apparently mayor Tom Barrett does not ride a bike.I don't care how good of a bicyclist you are, pedaling up that bridge is almost impossible, and it would be very dangerous.Maybe the best thing to do is to close that bridge for a day and see what kind of turn-out there would be for bicylists to try to ride that thing - then maybe people like MU82 (above) would stop coming up with worthless reasons why he won't vote for the better candidate (Scott Walker)

I'm for it. I would also like to see the bike lane continue along the Wisconsin 794/Lake Parkway between the road and the train tracks, on the west side of parkway. Since traffic is already limited to lower-than-freeway speeds and there's a brick barrier at the edge of the road, this would be a great, safe path all the way from the south side through Bay View to downtown/Summerfest and continuing to the East Side via the Oak Leaf Trail and eventually the Ozaukee Interurban Trail.

As a daily bicycle commuter from Bay View to Downtown I would bike the Hoan nearly every day(I'll exclude the hurricane force wind days experienced earlier this week). The grade really isn't that bad, and traffic patterns make reducing the northbound side by one lane a very feasible option. With a proper barier between the auto and bike traffic it would offer a safer, shorter ride. Not to mention one of the best views in the city.

Hmm. Lose one lane of traffic to add a bike lane? What a stupid idea. The Hoan bridge gets busy and will get busier in the years to come. There's talk of expanding 794 all the way into Racine. So it's necessary to keep/add as many traffic lanes.

If the Hoan bridge is going to be rebuilt, then I would support adding a bike lane - provided the bicyclists can come up with the cash to add the bike lane. And also pay for the maintenance of the bike lane.

Taxyers should not have to waste money adding a bike lane that will be rarely used. Look at the ridiculous idea of adding bike racks to buses. Those racks are never used.

I rarely read comments because most of the people who make them don't know what they are talking about, including those here who think nobody would ride on the bridge, that is is a difficult hill to ride up, and that the winds would be worse than on the ground. Take the time to read the WisDOT study and you will learn that 80,000 people a month dead-end their rides at each end of the bridge every month and turn around to go the other way because the trails end, the grade is less than 5% the entire way (an ADA compliant grade a child can ride up), the winds are no worse until the winds on the ground.

As to cost, if you are a complete cheapskate, don't spend a dime on it and just let people ride on the shoulder if they want, or avoid it if they want. That would be a zero cost way to add utility to a bridge that operates WELL under capacity now. Because of the wide shoulders and lack of intersections, it would be safer than riding most of the roads in Waukesha with 50mph speed limits and no or narrow shoulders.

Interstate highways are legal to ride on in many states already. Bicyclists can already ride over the bridge on I94 from Hudson, WI. Legalize the Hoan.

@onetug, first Barrett didn't state he would do it, he would look at the pro's and con's. Your candidate said, "no" without any thought. However, if we decide to make it a toll lane I am sure Walker would change his mind. Onetug, you are a one thought bore.

WisDOT did a study of the bike lane and found it to be safe and workable and compatible with traffic, even for as much as 20 years. As for wind, they "howl" at about 10% more than ground level wind. No, many would not use it on a very windy day, unless of course the wind is behind you.

The grade? I went up there with the WisDOT committee studying the bridge. Some parents brought children on their own bikes. The grade did not require power biking; the kids were seated going up; braking was almost unnecessary going down.

Those are the facts. As for cost, actually I can sympathize with that sentiment, but - as a bicyclist - I note that the automobile, the bus, the train, the airport - all forms of transportation (even walking on sidewalks or in parks) are subsidized.

The growing demand for bicycles (the inevitable with any rise in gasoline prices) will bring more bicycles to Kinnickinnic and First Street, where the danger factor is higher than a highway with a good shoulder. The Hoan has a huge shoulder compared to state highways which usually have none at all, but these are roads that are seeing more and more bicycles.

Yes, it looks steep. It looks unsafe. It looks expensive. It looks like your favorite fear - whatever - until you ride the Hoan it might even look frightening, but the ride is glorious; a beautiful view of our city that will draw tourists from all over - nothing like it in the MidWest. That in itself will bring tourists and make a bike path pay for itself. Milwaukee's entrepreneurs are smart enough to market the Hoan.

Barrett said "maybe" not "yes"So I guess all it takes is a "maybe" from this guy for people (the bicyclists who think it's a good idea to ride on the bridge) to get all excited about it. I think he should be putting "maybe" in front of everything else that he says, because what comes out of his mouth is totally worthless anyways.

I'm a pretty active cyclist, and belong to a local bike club. The climb is indeed long, and the cross winds would be pretty bad as well. Its far from an ideal place for a bike lane, and definitely not worth sacrificing a traffic lane for one.